Eagles, Braves to battle for state tournament berth

By Jerry W. Kram

The Parshall Braves whipped the Watford City Wolves 75-66 and the New Town Eagles triumphed in the Battle of the Birds over the Kenmare Honkers 64-59 to set up a rematch of the District 15 Championship that the Braves won in New Town on Feb. 26.

The Braves opened their tournament run with a 64-41 victory over the Ray Jays. Ray had a large and loud fan base at the tournament, all clad in lime green in remembrance of three players who died in a traffic accident just before the district tournament started. However, sentiment didn’t triumph as the Braves leapt out to an 11-0 lead and 15-4 at the end of the first quarter. The Braves continued to push the pace in the second quarter and outscored the Jays 21-14 in the second quarter for a 36-18 halftime lead. They continued the blistering pace in the third quarter to lead 55-23. Coach Wade Baker put his subs in for the final quarter and they closed out the 64-41 win.

"I think we had to do that," Baker said. "With the situation and the environment, it was important to get out to a fast start. I respect what’s happening and what they are going through, but we still have a game to play.